DK Arcade 2600. New 4-Level Demo!

[accousticguitar]

Is post #40 the latest available rom?

[iesposta]

Is post #40 the latest available rom?

No, the ROM in Post #1 of Byte Knight's thread or this (my) thread is the newest. (We got permission to update Post #1)

It is the 4 level demo that ends after Level 4.

 

The 3 levels that continues on is farther down this (my) thread, Post #1, from January 19, 2014.

[accousticguitar]

Okay, thanks.

No, the ROM in Post #1 of Byte Knight's thread or this (my) thread is the newest. (We got permission to update Post #1)

It is the 4 level demo that ends after Level 4.

 

The 3 levels that continues on is farther down this (my) thread, Post #1, from January 19, 2014.

Okay, thanks.

[Godzilla]

 

The mockers were correct. It's not possible. We are dead and living a pre-Heaven world of our own creation. These Donkey Kong games wouldn't really work on a real Atari 2600 back on earth. We're just imagining that they do. You'll understand after we all go into the light.

 

 

The mockers were correct. It's not possible. We are dead and living a pre-Heaven world of our own creation. These Donkey Kong games wouldn't really work on a real Atari 2600 back on earth. We're just imagining that they do. You'll understand after we all go into the light.

 

 

I'm just lost by this response; it's so random. Love it :-) Great observation, RT

[Andromeda Stardust]

^^Random Terrain is really an android programmed to generate a pseudo-random response to random posts in online forums...

[Brian O]

Man, I love this game.

 

As a challenge:

• Complete all 4 levels without dying
• Use all hammers
• Collect all items

 

Just finished the challenge — got 12,900.

 

 

Again, nice job on this.

 

-B

[iesposta]

Looks awesome so far! However, I do think climbing ladders should be a bit faster to match the original arcade version's speed.

I tried changing the +1, -1 to +2 and -2. He does climb faster, but doesn't stop at the platform, just keeps going up and up.

I like your suggestion. We will look into it.

[Byte Knight]

I tried changing the +1, -1 to +2 and -2. He does climb faster, but doesn't stop at the platform, just keeps going up and up.

I like your suggestion. We will look into it.

 

We'll probably have to go with a fixed point variable for climbing, and use the same speed as running.

[iesposta]

We'll probably have to go with a fixed point variable for climbing, and use the same speed as running.

It might have something to do with the "not square" pixels.

I remember discussion of this in PacMan 4K and in Spiceware's Draconian.

Things being equal, the horizontal is a different speed as vertical due to not square pixels.

Some times, changing things creates jumpy movement.

We can test if faster climbing results in better gameplay, or if causes stutter, or if it works at all.

[Andromeda Stardust]

I hear ya on the Pacman thing. Pak 4k is squashed so that the paths on the maze board are nearly 2x wide as they are high, but the game plays awesome. I tried the old ROM with balanced action (same speed vertical and horizontal) and while the gameplay was good, it felt sluggish like the NES version. The vertical speedup in the final 4k release, however, is every bit as frantic as the arcade without being unfair. Finally feels like the arcade version, even if Pacman gobbles pellets faster up and down (wackawackawackawackawacka...) as opposed to left and right (wacka, wacka, wacka, wacka, wacka...). Physics can be great with non-linear pixels, if compensated properly. Bear in mind however, when you adjust the main character timings, all the enemy sprite timings must be retweaked as well to keep the difficulty balanced. And I believe the issue is compounded when you factor in arcade games with multiple loops of increasing difficulty, especially at higher stages. In the end, the retweaking it is worth the effort if it results in a polished product. Just realise at some point in game development, the game must be declared finished as additional tweaking will only result in diminishing returns.

[iesposta]

Thanks, everyone, for downloading the latest version 100 times in this thread!

Byte Knight's thread, in "Atari 2600" forum, had the same file for download, and when it was moved to post #1 the count was reset.

So combined, and adding the count before it was reset, it is well over 200.

Again, thanks!

 

"My God, it's full of..." Player1

Here is a Stella debug colors image showing all nine yellow Player1 objects. Red is Player0.

 

Imagine if batari Basic could use multiple Player0's like it does with Player1.

[iesposta]

Still working...

[Britishcar]

Great fun and a technological wonder. However, it seems like the early boards are much too aggressive. First time up the ramps and I'm getting swarmed by barrels. I can't put together a coherent set of tactics on the pie factory level -- the pies are so close and everything is so cramped that I can only rush up to the 2nd level and wait and hope that a firefox doesn't decide to do me in before I can scramble the rest of the way. It seems like a die roll no matter what I do or don't do. It seems like these boards are at a difficulty level that one might encounter on a 2nd pass into them or something.

[iesposta]

Great fun and a technological wonder. However, it seems like the early boards are much too aggressive. First time up the ramps and I'm getting swarmed by barrels. I can't put together a coherent set of tactics on the pie factory level -- the pies are so close and everything is so cramped that I can only rush up to the 2nd level and wait and hope that a firefox doesn't decide to do me in before I can scramble the rest of the way. It seems like a die roll no matter what I do or don't do. It seems like these boards are at a difficulty level that one might encounter on a 2nd pass into them or something.

Thanks for your input! The difficulty is up to Byte Knight, I just did the art, level layout, and sound.

I've been through the code thousands of times, and some things I still can't say how they are done!

I tend to agree with you that it starts too hard, but compare it to the arcade game (which Byte Knight owns) or compare in MAME.

This version lets you change direction in mid-jump, the arcade does not.

 

True it starts very hard, but you can find strategies and maneuverings and improve. Byte Knight has previously reduced the barrel spawn in Level 1, and when he made it harder by making it less "forgiving" with collisions, I made him put back looser collision detection. Now some complain the barrels go through the player's head and feet!

 

I wish we could make options to make everyone happy, but this is my first project, and without Byte Knight it wouldn't be arcade-like at all.

 

We swear the "difficulty" is nothing more than "random decisions."

The barrels and fireballs do not know where you are and they don't target and come after you, although you will swear that they do! For instance on the rivet level, as you remove rivets, the fireballs have less and less places to make decisions so they appear to "come after you."

 

Without "seriously" playing (just casually), I can often get through 9 screens. (Japan level-style).

 

Right now I am more worried about bugs like death when grabbing a hammer, pixel glitching, falling through platforms on the elevator screen, using too many cycles that the display starts to jitter...

[Dauber]

Say... Is there any trick to getting this to work on the Harmony? I have the latest version of the firmware, but the ROM (both the latest here and on the DK Arcade web site) crashes my system, requiring me to shut it off and back on again...at least on my 7800.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Say... Is there any trick to getting this to work on the Harmony? I have the latest version of the firmware, but the ROM (both the latest here and on the DK Arcade web site) crashes my system, requiring me to shut it off and back on again...at least on my 7800.

Do you have a 2600 console to run it on? Some games that use undocumented instructions may not behave on certain 7800 revisions.

[iesposta]

Say... Is there any trick to getting this to work on the Harmony? I have the latest version of the firmware, but the ROM (both the latest here and on the DK Arcade web site) crashes my system, requiring me to shut it off and back on again...at least on my 7800.

First report of it not working on a 7800.

It works on my two 7800's from both Harmony's, the SD one and the Micro SD one.

There are at least seven 7800 models, and probably variations within each "model run."

 

Questions:

 

What version of Harmony?

Harmony 1.05, or Harmony 1.06 beta?

 

Do any DK Arcade 2600 versions posted in the first post run?

 

Does Space Rocks run?

 

How about Evil Magician Returns II? That is batari Basic DPC+. Link to binaries

[+Gemintronic]

Imagine if batari Basic could use multiple Player0's like it does with Player1.

 

I've always wondered about this. Does manipulating/multiplexing player0 take more time?

[iesposta]

I've always wondered about this. Does manipulating/multiplexing player0 take more time?

I think batari just took the available cycles in his kernel and found 9 virtual copies could fit.

Each one takes ram, and it is more flexible to have one of the players normal and the second player virtual.

Looking at the code you can see he based it off the multisprite kernel. Which only had cycles for __ virtual sprites.

With DPC+ allowing faster register changes, he was able to put in all the objects, colors, no blank lines, without having to resort to trade offs.

 

I would still like to trade off something just to have DPC+ music in batari Basic.

[Dauber]

Do you have a 2600 console to run it on? Some games that use undocumented instructions may not behave on certain 7800 revisions.

 

Nope, just a 7800.

 

First report of it not working on a 7800.

It works on my two 7800's from both Harmony's, the SD one and the Micro SD one.

There are at least seven 7800 models, and probably variations within each "model run."

 

Questions:

 

What version of Harmony?

Harmony 1.05, or Harmony 1.06 beta?

1.05, SD version. None of the DK Arcade ROMs work. Haven't tried the other ones you mentioned.

 

As for the 7800, mine is the one that has no evidence that there was ever any thought of an expansion port. In fact, this is the first thing that I've ever tried on my 7800 that didn't work -- Starpath Supercharger games work on it (with an actual Supercharger, that is), all the Activision and Imagic games work on it, etc. Also brought my Harmony cart over to Inky's place, and couldn't get DK Arcade working on his, either. His has the expansion port.

[Andromeda Stardust]

Nope, just a 7800.

 

1.05, SD version. None of the DK Arcade ROMs work. Haven't tried the other ones you mentioned.

 

As for the 7800, mine is the one that has no evidence that there was ever any thought of an expansion port. In fact, this is the first thing that I've ever tried on my 7800 that didn't work -- Starpath Supercharger games work on it (with an actual Supercharger, that is), all the Activision and Imagic games work on it, etc. Also brought my Harmony cart over to Inky's place, and couldn't get DK Arcade working on his, either. His has the expansion port.

Mine is a vanilla AV mod from Best without the expansion port. I've mostly had fun playing 7800 games recently but I can try other games on my Harmony. I need to see if the DK 2600 games (Arcade and VCS) are affected.

[iesposta]

Working to get this in. Anyone know that "this" is?

 

 

[Andromeda Stardust]

Working to get this in. Anyone know that "this" is?

 

 

 

Pauline edition. Nice!

 

[Dauber]

Okay, so given that I couldn't get this working on the Harmony cart with two completely different 7800 models...I just acquired a 2600jr. Can't get it working on that, either...so I'm sure there's an issue somewhere with the Harmony cart.

 

I'm using the latest non-beta Harmony firmware, and transfering via OSX Lion...anything I should do different, or should I break down and use Winblows?

[Andromeda Stardust]

Okay, so given that I couldn't get this working on the Harmony cart with two completely different 7800 models...I just acquired a 2600jr. Can't get it working on that, either...so I'm sure there's an issue somewhere with the Harmony cart.

 

I'm using the latest non-beta Harmony firmware, and transfering via OSX Lion...anything I should do different, or should I break down and use Winblows?

I'm pretty sure the OS has nothing to do with it. If it was your firmware or something to do with the formatting of the SD card, then nothing would work. I may have to try out the binary on my Harmony later. I haven't transferred over any new files in a while. BTW, I believe some Atari Jr models may suffer compatibility issues like the 7800s? You don't have an old 4- or 6-switcher to test on. I'll have to load it later on my Harmony and try it out with my 4-switch and my 7800...